Charlie Sheen announced Tuesday during an exclusive interview with “Today Show’s” Matt Lauer that he is HIV positive and has been living with the virus for the past four years.

.@CharlieSheen‘s HIV announcement on TODAY: What it means for his health https://t.co/6mWjcXlKhX pic.twitter.com/ExxFXODIU3

— TODAY (@TODAYshow) November 17, 2015

The disclosure comes after several reports Monday speculated that the former “Two And a Half Men” and “Anger Management” star was set to disclose his HIV positive status after issuing a statement saying he would be “revealing a personal announcement” on Tuesday’s “Today.” During the interview with Lauer, Sheen said,

I have to put a stop to this onslaught, this barrage of attacks and of sub-truths and very harmful and mercurial stories that are about me, threatening the health of so many others that couldn’t be further from the truth.

Sheen was incredibly candid with Lauer, revealing that over the past four years he has paid upwards of $10 million to keep his illness a secret. Some of the individuals extorting him included prostitutes within his inner circle whom he hired for companionship during periods of depression. According to Sheen, one of these prostitutes even took photos of his anti-viral medication in his bathroom and threatened to sell it to the tabloids.

By announcing his status to the world, Sheen hopes to “claim back his freedom” and put his partying days behind him. In part of an open letter written by Sheen he declared,

I accept this condition not as a curse or scourge, but rather as an opportunity and a challenge. An opportunity to help others. A challenge to better myself.

Sheen received his HIV diagnosis after he sought treatment for a three-day cluster of “crushing headaches” he believed were signs of a brain tumor. Despite his diagnosis, his physician Dr. Robert Huizenga affirmed that the actor does not have AIDS, which is the advanced stage of the infection during which a person’s immune system is too weak to fight off many illnesses.

The revelation over the actor’s illness has many concerned that his history of reckless drug and alcohol abuse, combined with his highly-publicized sexual promiscuity, could have led him to carelessly infect others with the disease. Sheen, however, sees this possibility as “impossible.” He did admit to having unprotected sex with two people since the diagnosis, but insisted that both were informed ahead of time and have been under the care of his doctor.

His ex-wives Denise Richards and Brooke Mueller were both notified of his diagnosis when he found out. Now the actor plans to move forward by cleaning up his act and helping others. According to Sheen, his future will be one dedicated to philanthropy, saying,

My philanthropic days are ahead of me. Ernest Hemingway once wrote, ‘Courage is grace under pressure.’ I’ve served my time under pressure; I now embrace the courage, and the grace.

Watch Sheen’s Full Interview Below

Alexis Evans

Alexis Evans is an Assistant Editor at Law Street and a Buckeye State native. She has a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism and a minor in Business from Ohio University. Contact Alexis at aevans@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Charlie Sheen Announces He’s HIV Positive on Today Show appeared first on Law Street.

Last week the “Today” show warned viewers of a possibly dangerous brand of exploding firearm targets that are sold over the counter, calling them a potential tool for terrorists. But, it turns out that likening these targets to bombs has seriously angered the product’s manufacturer, causing it to take action. Tannerite Sports filed a libel and slander suit against NBC Universal News Group, alleging that the Today Show’s “Bombs for Sale” print and video segments reported by NBC News national investigative correspondent Jeff Rossen were defamatory.

The video segment ran last Monday in conjunction with an online news story titled Bombs for Sale: Targets Containing Dangerous Explosive Being Sold Legally. The segment was part of “Rossen Reports,” an investigative unit that provides segments for the Today Show, NBC Nightly News, and Dateline NBC. The segment alleged that a brand of exploding shooting targets called Tannerite were, essentially, bombs for sale.

Tannerite is a brand of binary explosive targets that are intended to detonate when shot by a high-velocity firearm bullet. The product has become a hit with gun enthusiasts, because it explodes when you hit the target, letting you know if you’ve made the shot. The product is able to be sold without the usual restrictions that apply to explosives based on a technicality; they separate the two ingredients in its explosive that are sold together–ammonium nitrate and aluminum powder. Individuals must combine the substances in the container themselves for the product to be active. Rossen stated that ammonium nitrate is the same substance that was used in the Oklahoma City Bombing, as well as IEDs used on U.S. troops in Afghanistan.

The report reiterated the potential dangers of the product, citing a 2013 FBI intelligence bulletin, which issued a warning that exploding targets have “potential use as explosives in IEDs by criminals and extremists.”

When NBC contacted Tannerite Sports LLC, for comment makers of Tannerite said:

No additional regulations are needed beyond current laws because the product is safe when used correctly. The only injuries that have ever happened were results from the shooter misusing the product. Only girly-men want to regulate Tannerite Rifle Targets.

That highly offensive “girly-men” comment may have been directed towards the concerned folks over in Maryland, since the state is currently the only one to ban the purchase of the exploding targets without an explosives license.

What the issue really boils down to is whether or not Rossen’s reporting was defamatory or accurate?

From what I can tell from the lawsuit, Tannerite is taking offense mostly to its product being referred to as a bomb, which the company says it is not. A bomb can be defined as “an explosive device fused to detonate under specified conditions.” Tannerite is a container that is designed to explode on impact with a high-velocity firearm bullet. It can be destructive–in one woman’s case caused her to nearly lose a hand. Keeping that in mind, Rossen’s reporting doesn’t seem inappropriate.

Rossen’s report may have resulted in the company’s reputation being altered, as well as caused Tannerite some economic loss, but that’s what happens when consumers react to information. It’s tough to see his reporting as being either malicious or reckless, but we’ll have to wait and see what’s decided if this case even goes to court. Ultimately this lawsuit’s semantical debate over the word “bomb” may end up doing little to help Tannerite’s PR predicament.

Alexis Evans

Alexis Evans is an Assistant Editor at Law Street and a Buckeye State native. She has a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism and a minor in Business from Ohio University. Contact Alexis at aevans@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post NBC Sued Over “Bombs for Sale” Story appeared first on Law Street.